Clutch for tractors



June. s 1926. 1,588,272

G. H. SCANLAN CLUTCH Fon TnAcToRs original Filed Dec. 24, 1919 4 Sheets-sheet *1 June 8,1926. 1,588,272

G. H. SCANLAN CLUTCH FOR TRACTORS Original Filed DSC- 24, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. i?

WITNESSES /NVENTR TTURNEYS June 8 1926. f l 1,588,272

G. H. SCANLAN CLUTCH FOR 'IRACTORS- Original Filed Dec. 24, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet E mm K A TTORNE YS June 8 1926. 1,588,272

G. H. SCANLAN CLUTCH FOR TRACTOHS Original Filed Dec. 24, 1919 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WIr/M3858 /N veA/Torf ieg/ye Jaan/wz 5gg/214m @mi2-2 M A UORAIEYS v shiftable independently.

Patented June 8, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE H. SCANLAN, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.; MARY G. SCANLAN ADMINISTRATRX 0F SAID GEORGE H. SCANLAN, DEGEASED.

CLUTCH ron TRAoToRs.

Application led December 24, 1919, Serial No. 347,057. Renewed-0ctober 30, 1925.

This invention relates lto clutches, and hasA for an object to provide an improved clutch.

which is especially adapted for use on tractors and the like, and has for an object to provide an improved construction wherein the clutch membersv may be quickly and easily shifted without injury to themselves or. any part ofthe structure.

Another'object in view is to provide an improved clutch mechanism which may be easily operated in a simple manner for producing a turning action of the tractor.

.A `further object of theinvention is'to provide a clutch mechanism for a tractor wherein the parts are arranged `so that the clutch may be actuated by' one, two or more leve-rsand may be caused to drive the tractor forward with the shifting of one 'or two. levers or toy produce a forward or rear y driving action bythe shifting of the same levers.

An additional object is to provide a clutch v Figure 1 is a horizontal section through a clutch embodying the invention together with part of a tractor for illustrating how the clutch may be mounted when in operation.

Figure 1EL is a view similar toFigure 1, but showing a slightly modified form of the invention wherein each clutch member is Figure 2 is a sectional view similar to Figure 1, except that it discloses a slightly modilied form of the invention.

Figure 3 is a fragmentaryside view of one of the tractor shafts.

Figure 4 is an end view of the shaft shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a horizontal sectional view similar to Figure 2, butv showing a slightly modified` arrangement wherein only two shifting levers are used. j

The clutch embodying the rinvention may be used for large or small tractors, and is a special advantage in small tractors or medium sized tractors. Heretofore in the small tractor the propelling agent has vbeen con-V nected directly with the bull wheels or connected` by an ordinary clutch' whichfwillfy obviate this'iiecessity of manually, turning the tractor around without adding any comlto plicated parts or unnecessary machinery.

ln fact the clutch mechanism? embodyingl the invention is intended to act in whatv may be termed as three capacities, namely as a clutchfordriving both wheels forwardly, driving both wheels rearwardly, ory drivingv one of the wheels `without,d riviiyi'g the other wheelwhereby the tractor lwill turn around under itsown power, and not only under its own power but in a minimum space.

Referring to' the accompanying drawings,

A1 indicates 'an engine casing of atractor,

saidy casinghaving arranged thereinfthe usual crank shaft 2 designed to ybe operated by the engine, said shaft carrying a master pinion 3 continually meshing with what may be termed a clutch gear 4.. The casing 1 may be supported .in any desired manner on the bull wheels 5 and 6, said bull wheels being of any desired construction. Preferably the bull wheels" are provided with annular racks 7 and 8 which are continually meshing with the driving pinions 9 and` 10r connected to theshaft sectionsv 11,'and `12 of the shaftA 13. The shaft sections y11 and and 12 are independently rotatable if taken alo-ne, but cannotbe moved longitudinally independently as thesection 11 is provided with a socket 14 in which the spindle `or projection'l fits. Spindle 15 isprovidedA with an annular groove 16 in which one or more pins 17 extend, said pins also extend-4 ing through part of section 11 whereby the two sections .are connected together so as to move as a unit longitudinally in oase any` movement is to be had, though ordinarily there is no appreciable movement It will be noted thateacli section is freely yrotatable independently of the otherfso Athat `ify power is connected with either section the respective bull wheel associated therewith will be rotated, whilethe other bull wheel will remain stationary, thus causing a :quick turning of the entire tractor under the power of the engine or other driving' member. Arranged preferably at approximately the point of juncture of the sections 11 and 12 is the hub- 18; of the clutch gear 4', said hub being loosely mounted onv the shaft 13. A

clutch disk 19 is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to section 12 of shaft 13 and continually contacts with an extension 2O of casing 1, said disk being provided with a clutch ring 21 engaging the clutch face 22 of the clutch' gear 4. The clutch face 22is an outer friction f'ace against which the` ring 21 contacts for driving the shaft 13, or section 12 thereof', while the opposite clutch face 23 co-acts with the ring 24 for driving the section 11. It will beynoted that both ofthe clutch rings 21 and 24 drive the shaft 13 in the same direction, but by the arrangement of the clutches as described and the use of the'springs 31 and 33 clutch ring 19 will first engage and will be the last to disengage so. that the bull wheel 6 associatedv therewith will be rotated while the bull wheel 5 is stationary, or will be rotatedv at a greater speed so as to produce a wide lturning action. Clutch disk 25 is splined on to section 11 so as to freely slide into and out of engagement with the clutch gear 4. The clutch disk 25 is provided with a hub having an annular groove 26 for receiving a yoke 27 of the actuating lever 23, wh-ich lever may eXtend to any' desired distance to be shifted manually at any time as may be desired, Preferably the lever 23 has a pawl and' rack or other mechanism to hold it in any position in which it maybe placed.

This is desirable to produce the various ac' tions hereinafter fully described.v A spring 29 presses against the hub vof disk 25 and against a stop 3f) rigidly secured to section l1, said spring urging the disk 25. to continually engage the clutch wheel 4. A spring 31 vof less strength than spring 29 isf` arranged between the web 32 of the clutch gear 4and disk 25, said spring acting'to separate the ring 24 from the clutch gear.

`A third spring 33 is arranged between the web 32 and the disk 19 so as to move the clutch gear 4 away vfrom the clutch ring 2'1 whenever permitted. From Figure 1 it will be noted that the spring 31 is limited in its expansion by a ring 31 held in any adjusted position by a number of adjusting bolts 31. This arrangement is desirable as the movement of the clutch ring 24 is very small. Spring 33 is preferably weaker than spring 31 so thatv when lever 28 moves the disk 25 ytowardy the clutch gear 4 spring 33'` will be sufficientlyV compressed by web 32 to permit the ring 2 1 to engage the clutch face 22 and be rotated thereby before the clutch ring 24 is moved over a sui'iicient distance to engage the clutch face 23. By this construction and arrangement the section 12 will be driven and ,consequently the bull wheel 6' rotated so asl to turn the tractor under the power of the engine. llhen it is desired to rotate both bull wheels simultaneously for causing the tractor toY move forward lever 28 is: moved over quickly for its full distance whereupon both the rings 21- and 24 will tightly engage the respective faces 22 and 23. This will cause the clutch wheel to rotate both of the disks 19 and 2,5 and thereby rotate both the sections 11 and 12. By providing the spring 33 weaker than the spring 31 the movement of the disk 25 by lever 2 8 will cause the spring 31 to shift the clutch gear 4 so as to engage the ring 21 and drive the same before ring 24 is moved sufliciently to be driven by the clutch wheel. Sometimes 'it is desirable to turn the tractor ina comparatively wide l circle and in order to do this the clutch ring 24 is let out graduallyy so that it will slip to a certain extent and consequently the bull wheel 5 will be driven at a slowerspeedv 6 will rotate only slightly faster than wheely 5, while if the clutch ring 24 is practically disengaged and the ring 21 is still inoperativeI contact, wheel 5 will stand still and the bull wheel 6 will rotate at the usual speed, which will result in quickly turning the tractor within its own length.

Figure 1a is similar to Figure 1, except that the clutch disk 19 is splined on the section 12a and is provided with a hub 7 2 formed with a groove 'i' 3 for receiving the yoke of lever 7.4. lf preferred some other form of shifting means could be provided instead of this lever and yoke arrangement without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention,as the usecf this lever is merely one means forA shifting the clutch independently of the clutch disku25.

or left in a small spa-ce'or upon a large curve. ln order tosecure this result the section 12=l in this form ofthe invention is providedl with a flange 75 formed integral therewith or rigidly secured thereto, said flange acting as an abutment against which the hub of gear'wheel 4 presses when lever 23 is released, and permits the spring 29 to force the clutch disk 25 firmly into a clutched position. When the disk 25 is in a clutched position the disk 19 may be moved out of clutch if desired either quickly or slowly so as to cause a quick or slow turning action. When the disk 19 is thrown fully into clutch and disk 25 is also put into clutch and it it desired to disengage the shaft 13 from the engine,'lever 28 should be moved against the action of spring 29 until both rings 21'and 24 are disengaged. `As the disk 25 begins to move in a direction away from disk 19 the clutch wheel 4 will also move Itherewith under the action of spring33, thus causing a quick releasing or slipping action between the respective rings 21 and 24 and contact surfaces 22 and 23. f Y

In Figure 2 will be seen a slightly modi tied forin of the invention in which notonly j a forward drive anda turning movement is secured, but also a reverse or rear drive is secured. The reverse or driving to the rea-r is not provided for in the structure shown in Figure 1, but is provided for in the structure shown in Figures 2 and 5. Referring to Figure 2 numerals 11 and 12 indicate rthe sections of the shaft 13, said sections being separate, but held in alignment by a pin or projection 34 extending froml section 12 into a socket 35 arranged in the end of section 11. rlhe respect-ive sections are provided with teeth 36 and37 which are adapted to interlock when the lever 38 is operated in one direction which moves section 12 over a proper distance for this purpose.

lVhen these two sections are interlocked by teeth 36 and 37 they will positively operate together in either a forward 0r rearward movement. In the form of the invention shown in Figure 1, the gear clutch 4 is loosely mounted upon the shaft 13, while in the structure shown in Figure 2 the driving clutch wheel 39 is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the section 11v so as to always rotate therewith. The wheel 39 is provided with a web or some connection between the hub and the rim 40, which rim is formed with oo ositel, inclined friction faces 41A ip Y and 42 adapted to be brought into operative engagement with the faces 43 and 44 of the clutch gears 45 and 46, which are loosely mounted on the respective sections 11 and 12. These clutch gears are formed identical with the clutch gears shown in Figure 1, eztcept for the friction faces 43 and 44 which may he brought into engagement with the faces 41 and 42 respectively whenever desired. The clutch gear 46 continually meshes with the master pinion 3 which is rigidly secured to the crank shaft 2 whereby the connection between the crank shaft and the gear 46 is direct and continuous. In rddition to meshing with the clutch gear 46 the master gear 3 meshes with a gear 47 supported by a. suitable stub shaft 48, which shaft is preferably rotatably mounted in the casing 1 so thati if the gear 47 is rigidly s'ejy y curedto shaft 48 and a secon'dgear 49is also@ secured to shaft 48 said 'last mentionedigear will rotatev whenever gear 47 rotates. Gear 49 meshes continually withthe clutch gear to be brought into frictional engagement with the friction faces 54 and 55 vof the clutch gears 45 and 46. The clutchv meinbei-` is splined on the shaft 13 and provided.

with a hub 56 having a groove for receiving' a yoke 57 of a lever 58 "whereby the clutch' member 50may be moved into and outviof engagement with the clutch wheel 45. A.

spring 59 is provided which bears againsty a disk 60, which in turn'presses against the,

casing 1 while the spring at the opposite end also bears against a washer61 associated with the hub 56 whereupon in case the lever 53 is loose it will force theclutch 50 overl until itr ngages the clutch wheel45 and' -forces the saine into proper frictional enfy gagementwithy the face 41 of wheel 39 so as to drive the section 11 and all parts :con-v nected therewith. It willbe noted that a spring 62 is provided between the clutch member 50 and the clutch gear 45 lso that' the first movement of the clutch member 5() will cause the clutch gear 45 to move over against the action of the comparatively weak spring 63 until the face 41 has been engaged. By reason of spring 62 this lface will be iirst engaged and then ring 52 will engage-,the frictional face 54 for transmit-` ting motion to the section 11. The'rotation of the section 11 will be in a reverse direc-v tion and the tractor will consequently turni Then itis dei. sired to turn the tractor around toward they around toward the rear.

front the lever 64 is movedy against the action of spring 65 which will cause the comvparatively weak spring 66 to be collapsed.

and the faces 42 and 44 to come into proper enga-gement whereupon the wheel 39 will be rotated and consequentlythe section 11 ro-l tated in the oppositedirection or toward the front. If the motion is sufficiently far, or

a full throw of the lever y64, the ring 53 of. the clutch member 51 will engage the fric-.. tional surface 55 of the clutch gear 46 so that not only'will the section 11 rotate but clutch member .51 and section 12 will rotate thus driving the tractor .in a forward direction. i If desired and to alwaysinsure that there;

will be no slipping of' theparts in lorder to obtain'a straightforward drive, lever -38 -is `usually thrown over'to force section 12 toward section 11 for 'causing `the teeth 36 and 3T c to intermesh their full depth, although the same also mesh when the lever 64 has been thrown over to its extreme clutch position. It will thus be seen that section il may be rotated in either direc'- tion for producing a forward or rear turning action, and by properly manipulating either lever 64; alone or levers 6A and 38 the bull Awheels connected to the shaft 13 may be driven forwardly. A spring 67 is provided between the grooved hub 63 which co-acts wit-h the. yoke for lever`64 and a casing' 69 extending from the casing-1. Spring 67 is intended to be heavier and stronger than springs 65 and 66 so vas to compress said springs and cause a. firm clutching action of all parts in case lever 64 should be loose.y

The casing 69 accommodates stops 70 and il which are rigidly secured in any suitable manner to the section l2 so that whenever the yoke 38 of lever 38 is actuated the section l2 will be shifted longitudinally.

In Figure 5 the same general structure is shown as illustrated in Figure 2, except that lever 64 has been eliminated and the spring 67 caused to bear against the clutch member v51 directly so that when the lever 38 is moved over 'to its extreme clutched position not onlywill the teeth 36 and 37 become meshed o-r engaged, but the clutch member 5l will be pressing tightly against the clutch gear 46 and said clutch gear will be pressing tightly against the wheel 39 whereby the shaft 13 will be driven in a forward direction.

IVhat I claim is:

1. A clutch for driving ar divided shaft, comprising a clutch member rigidly secured to one division of said shaft and a clutch member splined on the other division of said shaft, a manually operated lever connected to said splined clutch member, a driving member arranged between said clutch members, said driving member being movable toward or from either clutch member and formed with faces adapt-ed to engage said clutch members, and springs arranged between the respective clutch members and the driving member, said springs being overcome by said lever when actuated in one direction, one of said springs being stronger than the other and when actuated by said lever vforcing said driving member against the rigid clutch member overcoming the vspring associated therewith, thereby engaging the latter clutch member before engaging the splined clutchl member.

2. In a clutch of the character described for driving a divided shaft, a driving` mem ber, a clutch member connected with each part of said shaft, said clutch members being arrranged on opposite sides ofv the driving member, a spring arranged between said driving member and each of the clutch members, adjustable means between one of the 'comprising a clutch clutch members and the driving member for varying the action of the spring adjacent the driving member and'means for shifting the position of said last mentioned clutch member toward and from the driving member whereby it will operativelyy engage said driving member andbe rotated thereby.

3. In a clutch of the character described for driving a divided shaft,a` driving member, a clutch member arranged ron each side of said driving member and connected to the respective parts of said shaft, an independent spring arranged' between each clutch member and the driving member, means for adjusting. the' operative length of one ot said springs and means for letting said clutch membersinto an operative position with the driving member and moving the same out of said operative position.

4. A clutch for driving a divided shaft comprising a clutch member rigidly secured to one division of said shaft, a clutch mem ber splined on the other division of; said shaft, a vmanually operated lever for moving said splined clutch member, a driving inember arranged between said clutch members, said driving member being formedl with` opp'ositely positioned faces for engaging said clutch members, springs arranged between the respective clutch members and the driving member, said springs being overcome by said lever when actuated in one direction, one of said springs being stronger than the other so as to cause one clutch member to engage operatively before the other and adjusting means for varying the operativel length of said stronger spring.

5. A clutch for tractors and the lilre` comprising a gear presenting outwardly diverging clutch faces, a fixed clutch member adapted to engage one of said faces, a movable clutch member adapted to engage the other of saidk faces, a shaft section connected with 'each of said clutch members, a manually actuated lever adjacent the movable clutch member, spring means between the gear and the clutch members, the spring adjacent the movable clutch member being of a greater tension than the spring adjacent the fixed clutch member, and upon moving said lever for said movable clutch member to engage said gear the latter under the action of the stronger spring moves toward the fixed` clutch member, thereby engaging the same before the movable clutch member engages the gear.

6. A clutch for driving` adivided shaft', member rigidly secured to one part of said divided shaft, a clutch member splined on the other part of said divided shaft, a manually operated lever for moving said splined clutch member into clutch, a driving member arranged between said clutch members, said driving member being formed with opposed faces, springs arranged between the respective clutch members, and driving member, said springs being overcome by said lever when actuated in one direction, the spring adjacent the splined clutch member being stronger than the spring adjacent the rigidly secured clutch member so as to cause the latter clutch member to engage before the other.

7. In a clutch of the character described for driving a divided shaft, a driving member, a oluteh member arranged on each side of the driving member and secured respectively to the parts of the divided shaft, a spring arranged betwen each of said clutch members and said driving member, adjustable means arranged between one of said clutch members and the driving member for varying the action of the spring therebetween, and means for shifting the position of said last mentioned clutch member toward and from the driving member for permitting said driving member to engage or disengage the other clutch member before the former operatively engages said driving member.

8. Ar clutch for tractors, Vcomprising a divided shaft, a gear having outwardly diverging faces' movably mounted on said shaft, a splined clutch `member on one side of said gear, a iixed clutch member on the other side thereof, and means associated with .said clutch members and gear for permitting GEORGE H. soANLAN.l 

